Special cables and e-chains for SMD pick and place machines from Assembléon

• What were the requirements? With many extremely fast movements in the pick-and-place machine, the cables must be able to perform at least 400 million strokes.
• Which products were used? Pre-assembled readychain® energy supply, chainflex® cable
• How does the customer benefit? Thanks to the pre-assembled energy chain, Assembléon saves time during assembly and has cables that are perfectly matched to the e-chain® to reduce abrasion. The chainflex® cables have been specially placed on the test rig for assembly machines in the largest test laboratory for moving cables.

Assembléon Netherlands B.V. has developed a new generation of fully automatic pick and place machines of the iFlex T4, T2 and H1 series with vision system. They can be used for small and high volumes. SMD placement is carried out by robot on one or both sides in series quality for components from a size of 0402. 51,000 (T4) to 12,000 (H1) parts per hour can be handled. The acceleration and speed are 35 m/s2 (y-axis) and 20 m/s2 (x-axis) on the one hand, and 2 m/s and 1.5 m/s on the other.
In short, there are many and extremely fast movements in the pick and place machine. On the one hand, high placement accuracy is important, on the other hand, the process sequence must be correct at all times. Rejects and downtime must be avoided. All components must be perfectly harmonised for a high service life, including the cable and cable routing. The countless motor, measuring system, data and camera cables in pick-and-place machines are often considered the weakest chain link in the process. To ensure that they can withstand the required service life of 400 million cycles, i.e. seven years of continuous operation, manufacturers with system expertise are required in this industry in particular.

Assembléon purchases the energy chain and cable from us together in a package as a pre-assembled "readychain®" energy supply systems. This not only saves time during assembly. The sheath material of the cable is also perfectly matched to the sliding material in the chain to prevent abrasion. Specially developed conductors and shielding materials also meet the electrical requirements to ensure durability, stability, functional reliability and service life. The complete system is supplied ready for installation, including strain reliefs, connectors and machine attachments made of stainless steel and carbon fibre.
The flawless condition of the chainflex® cable is ensured not only by the extensive documentation during production, but also by the comprehensive quality assurance testing in the world's largest test laboratory for moving cables in Cologne. As the requirements in pick-and-place machines are so high, two test systems have been implemented specifically to simulate the special requirements of pick-and-place machines (further information on the test procedures in our laboratory can be found below).
The entire range of available chainflex® cables is used in the pick-and-place machines. They range from motor, measuring system and data cables to camera cables. There are at least twelve pieces, all of which have been specially manufactured for the Dutch company. The stranding structure is matched to the bend radius, the conductor material is a special in-house development and the UL requirements have also been met.

In addition to the test stations for simulating automatic placement machines, many other tests are also carried out. The chainflex® cable is tested under high tensile and shear forces, friction values, wear values, drive forces, bending forces and abrasion under a wide range of conditions and speeds in an area of 3,800 square metres and in over 800 ongoing tests. Influencing factors such as dirt, weather, cold or shocks and impacts are also included. The focus is not only on new developments, but proven cable types are also subjected to continuous quality tests. All test results are summarised in databases, which today provide precise and reliable information about the actual service life of our products.